The Pain They've Caused
by uftopia
Summary: Max suffers from the dark room, but doesn't know what happened. ((AN ACTUAL STORY I WILL NOT ABANDON FOR A LONG TIME. I WANT TO GET THIS DONE.)) No pairings. Just lots of friendship :) ((STORY IS GOING TO BE REWRITTEN;RENAMED))
1. Prologue - Where Am I?

**Prologue**

Soft talking clouded Max's hearing, she didn't know where she was. She started to stir, and whimper.

A click was heard.

"Shh… No it's okay." a voice spoke to her, holding her head down until she stopped struggling. It wasn't very long, whatever made her this way was clearly holding her back from doing anything physical.

 _It's so cold… where am I?_ She thinks. It's the first thing she's thought of in a while. She shivered, only now realizing her hands were bound together. By what, she didn't know.

"Chloe…?" she whispers.

And a voice whispers back. "No, Maxine. Maybe I need to give you a new dose…" the last part was quieter than when _they_ said her name.

"Who..?" the other voice in the room chuckled. And now, she realized that another person was in the room. She draws out her questions, unable to speak properly.

"Please… don't…" the spaces are long, it's hard to think and she doesn't know why. _Did they say dose? Did they… drug me?_

The last thing she remembers is going to the Vortex Club party, getting some water and feeling woozy. _The water…_ she remembers, _the cap was already opened, so something was-_

Even her thoughts were cut off, as all the warmth that was left in her body, which wasn't very much in the first place, left her. It was replaced by an icy cold liquid that made her sleepy…

Sleepy…

So, so, sleepy…

Before she was out completely, she recalls laughing, and people trying to shove her onto others. Specifically boys, and had her make out with them. She was so out of it she didn't even know what was going on. She saw lights… and phones in her face.

 _I'm dreaming. Nothing to worry about._

 _Nothing._

 _At._

 _All._

She was out cold now.


	2. Chapter 1 - Hipster Ho

Chapter 1.

Max awakes that morning outside of her dorm room. _Weird, isn't it? I guess I was dropped off…_ No one else in the dorms is up yet, and it looks like it's still at least three in the morning. She finds out her phone isn't actually with her, and she wonders where it is and- ah! It's to the right of her body. She reads the clock when she presses the home button.

 _3:41_ it says, the bright white light flashes up from her phone illuminating her face, making it paler than before. She still feels groggy and gross, and wonders what she did last night to make her feel like that. She decides she wants to take a shower in order to wash the awful feeling off of her. She walks into her dorm room to find that everything is how she left it, everything's the same.

"I don't know why, but I was expecting more. I guess I'll stop talking to myself in whispers and take a shower." _maybe it'll change later._ She opens the door to hear that laughter from victoria's room is echoing through the hallways, it's almost like she wants the whole dorms to hear.

" _OH my fucking god! Such a slut! Can you believe this shit, Court?"_

" _No, never did I expect her to do such a thing."_

Those two lines and more screams of laughter gets Max a little paranoid, so she rushes to the shower faster than before. _You're just paranoid. Get over yourself._ She tried to reassure herself, but that aching feeling that something bad was going to happen really got to her. Brushing it off again, she took a shower after taking off her clothes as fast as she could.

 **._._._._._.**

Later during her shower, she heard slurring voice's walk into the bathroom. Peeking through the curtain unnoticed, she saw it was Victoria and her slave, Courtney. All she could do now was eavesdrop.

"Now the nickname 'Selfie Whore' fits her just right."

"Oh you're telling me, but 'Whore' works just fine now."

Max didn't know what she was hearing, but it filled her with anxiety and dread. Something bad is going to happen, and she knows it. _What happened last night..?_

Victoria started her slurred speech again. "Court, you gotta share those pictures and videos-s-s! They're so perfect… little Miss Caulfield won't be laughing and pushing past me after this!" she chuckled an evil laugh, and started to sway and do small dances around Courtney. Courtney joined her shortly after. Usually Max would find this funny and a bit pathetic considering it's Victoria, but right now, at four in the morning, she was fearful for her life.

She didn't know what was going on.

She didn't want to know what was going on.

 **._._._._._.**

"SLUT!" another insult was thrown her way, and by now she had been pushed into lockers three times. All either by the Vortex Club members, (excluding Dana) or jocks looking to make themselves feel better any chance they could get.

She'd started crying early in the day, after the first insult had been spat in her face by the one and only Nathan Prescott himself. "Ugly ho." was what he said to her while walking past each other in the hallway. Everyone was giving her dirty stares, and very rarely, sympathetic looks. She knew some pictures or a video was responsible for this. Victoria had said it herself, whether or not she knew Max was in the bathroom with her that night.

She hadn't talked to Kate or Warren all day, in fear of what they'd say. Who knows. Even friends can turn on each other in an instant.

"Haha! Fucking prostitute!" a boy had yelled and pushed her into yet another locker. Her head and back were really starting to hurt now. She stayed on the floor, not daring to move. He then kicked her a little bit, stating she should _'go and find a strip club to work at'_ That really pushed her off the edge. Tears started prickling and burning her eyes, and she got up immediately not wanting to be seen like this, especially after the video. She left, her hands to her face to cover otherwise obvious tear streaks and her heated face. While she was walking, she heard laughter and people muttering among themselves and their friends. She felt like she wanted to just _fucking die_ that moment. Right then and there. Then those bullies could leave her be and see what they've caused.

 _God, what am I thinking?_ She dismissed the thought quickly.

She wanted to talk to friends, but the only one who couldn't possibly know was Chloe. She decides it's okay to miss the rest of today, to vent to a friend.

 **._._._._._.**


	3. Chapter 2 - All I Remember

Chapter 2

"Dude, what the fuck!" Chloe's angry face and hard posture rushed over to the Vortex Club. They're situated in a circle on the grass, filled with people like Nathan, Victoria, Hayden, Courtney and Taylor.

Max is watching from afar. She's sure to stay hidden though, because she doesn't want the teasing to start up again. So she hides behind a wall that no one's near. She can't hear exactly what she's saying, but Chloe's making a scene, gaining attention from the people around her rapidly. Eye's that say: _'the hell is going on?'_

"So you've been making fun of Max, huh?"

Victoria stands up, trying to be intimidating. But since Chloe's taller, she's actually a little intimidated by her. Just a bit. Her silky and sharp voice starts to talk to Chloe.

"Ooh? So this is what all of this about?"

Chloe doesn't say anything but her angry face is enough to give it away.

"Little ho deserved it. Besides, she said she wanted to be 'somewhat popular' so we're doing her a favor."

Chloe starts yelling, now getting the eyes of people who weren't already looking before.

"Don't you fucking call her that! And seriously? Doing her a _favor?_ She's been fucking depressed all of today and it's your fault!" Victoria doesn't reply so she starts up again.

"And you _dare_ say you did this because she wanted to be famous? Famous in photography, jackass!" she shouts to Victoria's porcelain face.

"You know what, I don't need to deal with this shit."

"And Max doesn't need to deal with yours, bitch!" Chloe's face is red and hot with anger, determined to help Max in any way possible. She might even want to just go on a giant search mission to find out what happened in the last Vortex Club party.

She turns back to the building, and goes to the wall Max was hiding behind.

"Please, Max, tell me everything. Everything that you remember when you went to that party." so she does. She tells her about how she felt woozy after she took a sip or two of some water. She says she doesn't know who gave her the water, and passed out shortly after. She tells Chloe some soft voices were speaking, and the small click of a camera was heard. She remembers she was dropped off at her dorm, not knowing who did or why. "I also felt… really cold, and my wrists hurting with red marks in the morning." She tells her absolutely everything she could possibly remember. She states: "And I heard Nathan. He said I'd be okay… but am I? I don't know Chloe, I don't know!"

Chloe doesn't talk during this and lets Max vent it out. Max starts to cry and she hugs her, and she'll keep doing it until the all her tears are gone.

"Swear it, Max, I'm going to find out what happened to you." Max keeps silent, and nods into Chloe's hair.

 **._._._._._.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Blood Red Binder

Chapter 3

Nathan was thinking. Thinking too much.

Tick

Tick

Tick

He wanted to tell Max what happened, he really does. He couldn't stand to watch Max get drugged and posed like a doll. A lifeless doll.

Tick

Tick

Tick

The clock's ticking is getting on his nerves, so he goes out to have a smoke. Marijuana or nicotine, he doesn't care. He takes out the first thing he feels in his pants, and,

 _Holy shit. Why do I have this?_

It's Max, but she's so out of it. Her hands are bound and she's looking forward at the camera Jefferson was holding yet she's not looking at all. She doesn't remember anything, and he can see that. And how Chloe had come to the Vortex Club members yesterday to complain about the shit they did to her. He's done more to her than the rest of them that he'd care to admit. He's the one who drugged her, spiked her drink. He brought her in his red SUV to be taken down to a place that shouldn't exist. _It's a hell,_ he thinks. _A hell that i've brought on so many people._ His eyes are now watering a bit. _To Rachel. I don't want another 'Rachel Amber' case._ What he's saying is, he doesn't want another person to end up missing and dead, even if it is Max, the Selfie Ho of blackwell. He realizes he's still holding the picture, and ends up putting it in his pocket. He takes out an actual cigarette this time.

He lights the cigarette up and mutters to himself. "All the good things get you killed. Maybe that's why they're so good." his phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes a drag and exhales the smoke before reading.

 **._._._._._.**

 **MJ:** Nathan, come to the dark room. I need to discuss some things.

 **._._._._._.**

He freaks out a little bit, dropping the cig to the ground and smothering the butt of it into the hard and wet pavement with his shoe. He tries to act as calmly as possible when typing a response. But luckily, unless it's a call, Jefferson can't sense Nathan's unease.

 **._._._._._.**

 **NP:** For what?

 **MJ:** Just come down.

 **._._._._._.**

"Fucking…" It's never good when he's told to come down there, and usually it means that he already has his eye on another 'muse'. Victims, Nathan calls them. Mark always corrects him though. Nathan wonders what it's going to be this time.

Nathan soon arrives to his destination, he exits his car and opens the already unlocked bunker door. A burst of cold air made him shift his body and hold his jacket closer, because of the Dark Room's air conditioning. He doesn't know why it is, but maybe it's to get the victim's goosebumps visible in order to make the picture look more appealing to Jefferson. _Fucking creepy._ Get gets rid of his thoughts and enters the room.

Jefferson hears him enter. He's wearing a slightly see-through button up shirt and black pants. He's holding Max's blood red binder in both hands, shifting through pages, looking satisfied with his fucked up pictures he calls 'art'.

"It's time, Nathan."

He's frozen, he knows what's coming.

"Bring Max again. I realize I don't have enough pictures. Do it during or after the next Vortex party. Good luck." he says this like it's a normal business meeting, like he's expecting a report done by Nathan and telling him to drop it off by his office later.

But, Nathan knows it's much more serious.

He wished that it wasn't.

He's panicking now.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Photo

Chapter 4

Max is sitting on a bench, just in her pjs and she didn't bother to put a coat on. Not even her favorite grey hoodie she has on 24/7. It's late at night, which is the only time Max gets to have peaceful thoughts and avoids the comments made by some of the most rude people Chloe and Max have seen. _To hell with them! Don't let them get to your head, Max._ Chloe says it every time she starts to cry but Max can't help but dread that people are talking about her at all times behind her back. By now her eyes are starting to water already. She stands and yells to the dark sky that contrasts with it's white and bright stars. "Stupid video! Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid…" she repeats the same word and her voice starts to drift, getting quieter by the second. She prays that no one heard her sudden breakdown. She looks around to confirm that nobody actually did.

Not seeing anyone, she sits back down on the old bench next to the Blackwell building. She closes her eyes gently and says in a whisper: "Just let this be a long fucking nightmare, please." She's never been an overly religious person, in fact, never religious at all. But she finds herself praying much more this past week than she had ever done before.

Something with a shiny surface catches her eye. Hesitantly looking around, she finally looks at it before picking it up.

She nearly yelps when she realizes what it is, but she can't, because she's so shocked at what it is that she's not able to make any noise. She's drugged and bound and she almost looks dead. Little dots on her neck are visible and she assumes it's from needles piercing her skin. She's stunned, and not in the good way. Max is frozen and can't move, she's turned to stone from just a glance at the picture. Her blue eyes quivering with fear, and she drops the photo and scoots back further onto the bench. This results in a small creak.

She decides to call Chloe, _she'll know what to do…_ she thinks to herself, still unable to talk at that awful sight she just witnessed.

She picks up her phone in which she brought with her to listen to songs. Of course, it looks like Chloe's been worried sick all day about her. _At least someone cares about me. Nice to know._ She scrolls through her contacts and Chloe is one of the first people to come up.

"Please pick up, Chloe. Please… I just need to talk."

It rings for a while before it finally picks up on the other end.

Chloe yawns on her side of the call. "Max? Dude this better be important or I-"

"Please I need help. I'm freaked out."

There's a few seconds and Max can hear Chloe getting on her boots, probably.

"Coming. What did you see?"

"It's… oh god…" she starts to cry. She doesn't want to look at the picture again.

"I found a picture and… I… it's not good, Chloe. Please come over."

"Alright, Max, I'm on my way. Just give me a second." she hears Max cry a little bit on the other end.

"Aw Max, don't cry please. Stay calm"

It's been a few minutes and she sees Chloe's pickup truck drive into the parking lot.

Sudden and rapid footsteps come to Max's left side.

"Max?" it's actually Warren whos come up to her. He's still in his nighttime apparel, which contains a nerdy shirt and star wars pj pants. She looks up with her puffy eyes and wet cheeks but doesn't say anything so Warren does.

"Chloe sent me here, she says your having a bad night. Thought I'd help." she's touched that Chloe had called Warren out here in the middle of the night to help, and that Warren actually agreed to it. _I have the sweetest friends…_ she thinks. _It'd… be sad to…_ leave _them. But…_ She stopped that thought. She can't admit she's been thinking of it more and more often. It was just 'tempting' as she said to herself. Seeing the picture only increased the thoughts.

As tears are still running down her cheeks, she says:

"I found an awful picture. I don't know why it's here or who took it. I'm too afraid to look again."

Warren's a little confused so she explains a little more.

"It's me… and it's over there, on the ground" she points to the spot where she dropped it, closing her eyes and turning her head away. Warren walks over to pick it up and is terrified at what he sees. He puts his hand over his mouth and keeps quiet. By now, Chloe's here too and asks what he sees.

"I, I don't even know. Just look, Chloe." he says. His voice is a little shaky. He turns the photo to her, revealing the horrific sight and she looks down at Max who has her head between her knees. She's sobbing a bit, but it's not very loud. Her head bobs up and down with sobs, and hiccups can be heard every fifth cry. She hugs her knees closer.

"I don't know what happened to me, but I don't even know if I _want_ to." Max says. Chloe and Warren sit on opposite sides of her, and then they start to hug her for comfort. _Hugs are nice._ She thinks. _Too bad I'll be gone soon so I won't be able to feel them anymore._ They're her best friends, but she wants to be free of this long nightmare.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Final Polaroid

Max had seemed pretty down, lately. She's always been answering people with nods or half sentences. Everyone except for the Vortex Club and all of the self-obsessed jocks seem to be worried about her. Especially, Chloe, Kate and Warren. Max's only three real friends. With Warren… she wasn't exactly sure what her relationship was with her, yet. He was always super nice and cared for her no matter the circumstances. She just didn't know.

But that didn't matter, it'd be over soon. Soon enough to not care about anything anymore. Soon enough to stop all of the rude comments and gestures people gave her when she walked through the hallways.

" _Whore."  
"Slut. Go fucking die."_

" _Oh, look, Max the selfie whore. Though, the word 'whore' is just fine now."_

Little remarks and giggles always followed afterwards, leaving Max with an aching feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She decides to skip the rest of her classes, planning something that will set her free, something that will stop the comments. And hopefully, for everyone else like Kate Marsh, and all of her friends who were 'nerds'. She rushes to her dorm room, avoiding everybody and everything. Even she ignored all of what people were saying. She didn't even stop her tears. She let them roll down her cheeks without hesitation. Gripping her bag, she finally made it to her dorm.

She threw everything she had aside, and took out her camera.

 _A… final selfie, I guess. For my friends. And family._

The picture showed just how depressed she looked, tear streaks were visible and her hair was like a rat's nest. Even though she tried to manage a smile, a frown was shone on the polaroid With one final look at the camera, she threw it to the ground in a fit of anger.

"Just why can't everyone fucking go away!" the camera shattered into too many pieces, and she decided it wasn't good enough. She stomped on it until nearly nothing was left of it.

She looked to the polaroid.

And she wrote her goodbye letter, in her neatest handwriting for everyone to read.

 _Goodbye. I hope you all got what_

 _You fucking wanted._

 _And don't come crying_

 _When you decide_

 _You want me back._

 _I'm done._

Thinking it was unfinished, she signed it:

 _xoMaxo_

 _Thank you, for all of my_

 _Actual friends_

 _You were all I had-_

She had to finish it on a post it note, the polaroid wasn't big enough

 _Left. I love you, but_

 _Especially_

 _Kate, Chloe, and Warren._

 _Goodbye._

Leaving the polaroid with the goodbye message on her desk, she left a heart next to the last goodbye, and left her dorm. Her next stop was to look out at Arcadia Bay's famous school, Blackwell. And while she did, she'd call Chloe. To have a final talk with her. To hear her voice one last time.


	7. Chapter 6 - Goodbye

Chapter 6

"Max, are you sure you're alright?" Chloe's concerned voice talks over the phone to Max.

"Yes, I-I'm fine. You can leave me be now, Chloe. Just wanted to hear you again"

There's a pause before Chloe decides to talk again. She can tell that Max was crying. She hears some sniffles every now and then, but no actual cries were heard.

"Max… Don't… do anything rash. Please." Chloe swears she hears a faint chuckle on the other end. _The hell?_

"I-I'll see you Chloe. Sometime." the phone call stops. This whole conversation had left her with a bad feeling. Max didn't even say she wouldn't 'do anything rash', which Chloe had asked of her. Chloe mumbled to herself. "Fucking, gah, Max. And 'sometime'? The fuck does that mean? Oh my god don't tell me-!" she stopped those thoughts before they could become something more. Sure, Max had been kind of depressed this week, and seeing that damn photo dropped near the bench only enhanced it. But Max was always a bright soul. _She'll make it through. She's Max Caulfield, the best person to ever exist… she wouldn't just,_ do _that._

"Fuck, Max, you're gonna make me drive all the way to Blackwell, aren't-cha?" her anxiety was worsening with every second that passed. Sweat was already forming on her pale skin, sticking to her brows. She didn't wipe it off though. Suddenly, her phone rang. Be picked it up expecting Max, but got something so _so_ much worse.

"Listen, bud this better be important I-"

"Chloe! It's Max!" It was Justin's voice that came to call. And he wasn't actually high like most times he had. She wasn't about to have any of it though, being in such a sour mood and wanting to help Max out.

"Max?! What's with her?"

"She's about to jump off the dormitory's roof! Someone's got her at bay, though, for now. I think you should really hurry!"

"Wh-who? Who's with her?"

"I can't make it out! If you want to save her though I think you should hurry! She's stepping closer to the ledge-"

"Thanks!" she doesn't bother to say bye, this is a serious matter.

 **._._._._._.**

"Hey, Kate?"

"Yes, Warren? Something wrong?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. Have you seen Max? She hasn't been seen in my classes and when I ask about her they say, and I quote, 'Why are you looking for that whore? Just leave her be'. End quote. It's really… mean."

"It is really mean, Warren. And come to think of it, I haven't seen her either. I wonder where she… oh? That's- that's her!" Kate exclaimed, happy to have found her friend. Her smile dropped though, seeing what horrible state Max was in. It was a really depressing scene to look at.

Warren had a very confused for a second but then looked to where Kate was looking.

It was Max. In the rain. She was getting soaked, and she was crying like she'd been keeping it in for years. She kept one hand to her face, the other hand clutching her messenger bag strap like it was the end of the world. Her hair clung to the sides of her face, a few shades darker because of the wetness and the clouds.

She sped walked through the rain, to what looked like her destination was: the dormitories.

"The hell?"

"I don't know. Do you think we should check up on her?"

"I was about to do just that. I'll see you later, Kate."

"Sure, Warren. See you too."

Warren rushed out of the classroom and out of the building to see that Max was gone. _In the dorms, probably._ He thought to himself he ran as quick as he could worried that she'd do something she'd regret. Like-

"Max..?" he whispered. He followed her up the dorm's stairs, that lead to the dormitory's roof. There she stood, on the ledge and ready to jump to her demise. She looked down to see that a crowd was already forming at the bottom of the building.

"Max! What are you doing?!" she turned around abruptly to see Warren's face looking at her own.

"Trying to be _free,_ Warren! You don't know what kind of hell I've been through! I need to- to-" She looked down after her sudden outburst and clutched her hands, making them into fists. "I want to stop the madness. The rude comments. And i'm doing everyone a favor! They're all saying I should die but now that I'm actually going to do it they scream for me to stop?! Enough is enough!" her cries were louder during the second part of her rant.

"No, please Max! You don't need to do this!"

" _Yes,_ I do, Warren!"

Below, Justin was calling Chloe.

Standing in silence, Max and Warren looked at each other. Finally, Max broke the silence by saying:

"I'm sorry, Warren. I love you. Tell Kate, Chloe, Dana, and everyone else who actually cared that I love them too. Bye." she looked back one last time, turned to Warren, and fell backwards off of the ledge. Warren came running to the ledge, trying to get her before she fell. It was too late though.

She was gone. He didn't want to look down at-

 _Fuck-_ well, it's too late. He saw her mangled corpse bleeding on the pavement. Some kids threw up when they saw.

 **._._._._._.**

 **A/N : OKay! Just so you know, I've got somewhat of a plot twist coming. :)**

 **Gah I want to reassure uh** _ **something**_ **but if i do i'll give it away.**


	8. UPDATE - ANNOUNCEMENT

hHYYEEEYEEYEA

Okay, yea, i'm rewriting the story! I thought everything was going a little fast and i didn't describe _shit_ so…

I alsoooo

Wanted

To include more grahamfield and Katie and Max friendship :))

Also, when i write updates, or whatever, they're gonna look _very_ unprofessional. It's just how i am. But when writing a story, i'll do better with punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

I hope you enjoy.

The new story (still like this one) will be named:

Even Angels Need Angels (cause i'm unoriginal)

Vvvv this is a test vvvv

Hey heyhey i wanna see if i can do those lines to break up the story


End file.
